CAIR-Chicago Resolved Complaint against Billboard Company Refusing to Display Ad for Muslims

CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Department resolved a complaint filed by Muslim Women’s Outreach. The Muslim non-profit organization wanted to advertise and event entitled “Why Preachers and Priests are Converting to Islam” by purchasing a billboard owned and operated by a local advertising agency.
The advertising agency worked with the group to develop the ad, but later refused to display the billboard after its regional manager refused to post it. The manager told the group that he was not comfortable with the ad. The group offered to take out the advertisement of the event and instead advertise their organization’s website, in hopes that people would visit their site and get more information on the event and their organization in general. The manager refused. When the group tried to meet with the manager to discuss the issue with him, he declined to meet with them. The regional manager’s secretary told members of the group that he “has no intention of ever meeting with you.”

CAIR-Chicago contacted the regional manager on behalf of the Muslim non-profit organization and began negotiations for a resolution between the two groups. The dispute was successfully resolved after CAIR-Chicago facilitated a settlement agreement and a meeting to address the concerns of the Muslim group with the advertising agency’s regional manager.